So She Is a Sorceress

Xie Lingyu also rushed back in a hurry, bringing Cui Hao and Lin Luoyu with her.

Li Yingling had been closer than Xie Lingyu to begin with, and the teleportation array she used was a dedicated one, so naturally, she arrived back faster.

By the time Xie Lingyu walked into the room, only Li Yingling remained inside.

Xie Lingyu approached with quick steps. Seeing Chu Xingchen looking deathly pale with his Dao aura dissipating, she gently reached out to check his pulse. Sending her divine sense in with the utmost caution, she then turned to Li Yingling and asked softly,

"Has a healer seen him?"

Li Yingling replied softly,

"Yes. Master is out of danger."

Xie Lingyu reached out and gently stroked Chu Xingchen's cheek, her eyes filled with indescribable emotion.

Cui Hao stood behind the two women. His face, which usually always wore a smile, was now as solemn as Li Xingtian's. He stared from a distance at his pale-faced Master.

Lin Luoyu stood beside Cui Hao with her brows tightly furrowed, remaining completely silent.

"Where are Xingtian and Baiqing?"

Xie Lingyu turned her gaze back to ask. Both of them cultivated within the Tianyan Sect and shared an incredibly deep bond with Chu Xingchen. How could they not be here at a time like this?

With Chu Xingchen's exact condition still unknown, Xie Lingyu knew better than anyone what needed to be done.

At the very least, until Chu Xingchen woke up, she had to ensure that not a single one of his precious disciples came to harm.

Hearing this, Li Yingling looked at Xie Lingyu and slowly replied,

"They've both already seen Master. They have matters to attend to at the moment, but they should be back in a little while."

Xie Lingyu breathed a sigh of relief at her words.

"As long as everyone is safe."

Li Yingling gave a slight nod, then turned her gaze toward Lin Luoyu and Cui Hao.

"Neither of you were caught up in it, right?"

Lin Luoyu nodded gently.

"Fifth Junior Brother and I are perfectly fine."

Li Yingling nodded slowly. Then, turning her gaze back to Xie Lingyu, she said softly,

"Baiqing said that Senior Bai returned together with Master. Since we are here to look after Master for now, Martial Aunt Xie, you might want to go check on Senior Bai first."

Xie Lingyu was momentarily taken aback and looked at Li Yingling.

However, she only saw Li Yingling looking haggard, completely devoid of her usual vitality, clutching a damp handkerchief in her hands.

Picking up on the subtle shift in the atmosphere, Xie Lingyu understood that now was absolutely not the time to retreat—neither for Chu Xingchen's sake nor her own.

Xie Lingyu reached out and gently grasped Chu Xingchen's hand. Keeping her tone as calm as possible, she said,

"Your Master is my Dao companion. Since you are his disciples, that makes you my disciples as well. Whether you acknowledge me or not, I will do what I believe must be done."

"If you ever need anything, you can come to me without hesitation. Whatever is within my power, I will do everything I can to make it happen."

Sensing Xie Lingyu's emotional state, Li Yingling immediately clarified,

"Master is truly out of danger. It is just that when Senior Bai returned, her battle armor was damaged. I simply thought that Martial Aunt Xie should go check on her."

Seeing this, Cui Hao took a step forward and said evenly,

"Martial Mother, since Senior Bai was the one who brought Master back, it goes without saying that she was also present during that great battle. Senior Bai was already unwell to begin with, so it is inevitable that she sustained injuries after going through such a fierce fight."

"After all, Senior Bai likely only went to cover Master's retreat."

"Since Master is not in any grave danger, it wouldn't hurt for Martial Mother to go check on Senior Bai before coming back. That way, you won't have to worry."

"If there are any issues here, we naturally won't hesitate to ask Martial Mother for help, and Martial Mother shouldn't stand on ceremony with us either."

"After all, Master once said that we are a family."

Xie Lingyu turned her gaze back to look at Cui Hao.

Listening to Cui Hao's words, Li Yingling also steadied her emotions and added,

"Rest assured, Martial Mother. I am here."

Xie Lingyu gave a gentle nod, her tone softening slightly.

"I'll leave things here to you for now. I will be back shortly."

With that said, Xie Lingyu turned and left the room.

Cui Hao then stepped closer to the bed. He gently reached out and grasped Chu Xingchen's hand, staring at his pale-faced Master with a solemn expression.

Then, he saw his Master slowly open his eyes.

Cui Hao's eyes widened in shock. Seeing his Eldest Senior Sister looking so devastated earlier, he had assumed their Master was critically injured and might remain in a coma for who knew how long. To think he would wake up just like that?

If he was going to wake up this quickly, was there really a need to look as if Master was on his deathbed?

Chu Xingchen slowly opened his eyes. He glanced down at his hand being held and spoke in a rather disgusted tone,

"Why... is it you?"

Hearing this, even Cui Hao was left completely stunned.

Hearing that familiar voice, Li Yingling immediately pushed her way to the bedside. Lin Luoyu also squeezed in as much as she could, craning her neck to look at Chu Xingchen.

Cui Hao looked deeply aggrieved.

"I was worried sick about you just now, yet the first thing you say when you see me is something like that!"

Li Yingling unceremoniously shoved the bothersome Cui Hao aside, seamlessly taking his place to grasp her Master's large hand. She hurriedly asked in a soft voice,

"Master, are you feeling unwell anywhere?"

"If you ask it like that, I'd have a very long list for you," Chu Xingchen replied, gently squeezing Li Yingling's hand with a soft chuckle. "What you should be asking is if there's anywhere I actually feel comfortable."

"Then, Master, where do you feel comfortable?"

"Nowhere at all," Chu Xingchen said with a helpless expression. He lifted his gaze slightly to look at Cui Hao, who had been shoved to the side. "I thought I heard Lingyu's voice just now, so I assumed she was the one holding my hand. Imagine my surprise when I opened my eyes and saw you staring at me so eagerly."

"Tell me honestly. Between you and Lingyu, whose hand do you think I'd rather be holding?"

Seeing her Master awake and hearing his familiar banter, the anxiety in Li Yingling's heart vanished almost instantly. A faint smile graced her lips as she said,

"Martial Mother was indeed the one holding your hand earlier. But after confirming that you were out of danger, we urged her to go check on Senior Bai first."

Hearing this, Chu Xingchen perked up slightly and asked,

"Right, how is your Senior Bai doing? Don't tell me your Master went through all that trouble for absolutely nothing."

Li Yingling huffed in exasperation. "Senior Bai was able to fly you all the way back here. Her condition is obviously leagues better than yours. Is it really your place to be worrying about her right now?"

"Yingling is so fierce."

Chu Xingchen grumbled playfully, then attempted to slowly prop himself up. Seeing this, the very same Li Yingling he had just teased immediately reached out to help him sit up.

Li Yingling said with a displeased expression, "After all, since I'm the 'drafty winter coat' of a disciple you're always complaining about, it's only natural for me to be a bit fierce."

Cui Hao watched his Eldest Senior Sister regain some of her usual spark, chuckling softly as he shook his head.

Just as he thought, their Master was the ultimate source of reassurance for their Eldest Senior Sister.

Chu Xingchen swept his gaze around the room before asking curiously,

"Where are Baiqing and Xingtian?"

Li Yingling answered truthfully,

"Second Junior Brother went to the Xuanqing Heaven Sect to investigate exactly what happened. As for Baiqing, she went to pack her belongings. She was preparing to wait on you indefinitely in case you ended up in a long-term coma."

Chu Xingchen nodded at her words. He didn't ask why Li Xingtian had gone; many things were better left unsaid, and choosing not to press the issue meant avoiding unnecessary complications.

He laughed. "Look at Baiqing, and then look at you. Calling you drafty isn't exactly wronging you, now is it?"

"You are wronging Eldest Senior Sister, though."

Chen Baiqing stood at the doorway, gazing at her Master with a pitiful, aggrieved expression.

Chu Xingchen hurriedly said,

"Now, now, Baiqing won't look pretty if she cries."

"Baiqing isn't pretty to begin with."

At this moment, Chen Baiqing, whom Chu Xingchen had just called unattractive, wore a beautiful smile on her face.

Seeing this, Chu Xingchen could only sigh softly.

She truly was an enchantress. He found himself completely powerless to resist her, his heart inevitably melting into a tender warmth.